Isabel Washington Powell papers
Scope and Contents
The papers of singer, actress, and teacher Isabel Washington Powell document her career in show business, her marriage to Adam Clayton Powell Jr, and her later teaching career in New York City public schools. The collection is .2 linear feet and dates from 1929-1981. It includes correspondence, news clippings, a scrapbook, photographs, and other miscellaneous items pertaining to Powell's life and work.
The correspondence in the collection dates from 1966-1981; therefore, none of the letters pertain to Powell's entertainment career. The correspondence consists of letters of thanks and appreciation written to or by Powell, government officials, and educators. Correspondents include: Senators J. William Fulbright and Edward Kennedy, President Jimmy Carter, and various school administrators in the New York City area. News clippings, as well as the scrapbook provide a more in-depth view of Powell's stage and singing career, as well as her marriage to Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Of note in the scrapbook are a number of clippings regarding Powell's roles in Broadway performances of "Bamboola," "Singin' the Blues," and "Harlem." Her role in "Bamboola" is also documented by an illustration of Powell on the cover of sheet music for "The Song of Harlem" from the production.
The few photographs in the collection portray Powell in her various roles as stage performer, teacher, and wife of Adam Clayton Powell Jr., as does the ephemera in the collection. The later includes a one-page contract for Powell's performance in "Singin' the Blues," an artist pass from NBC, a copy of Congressional Record that discusses Adam Clayton Powell Jr.'s work in Congress, a press release regarding Bessie Smith's 81st birthday, and an invoice for a school field trip arranged by Powell.
Dates
- Created: 1929-1981
- Other: Date acquired: 01/01/1983
Creator
- Powell, Isabel Washington, 1908-2007 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright to these papers has not been assigned to the Amistad Research Center. It is the responsibility of an author to secure permission for publication from the holder of the copyright to any material contained in this collection.
Extent
0.20 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Source of Acquisition
Isabel Washington Powell
Method of Acquisition
Gift
Processing Information
Collection processed February 2012.
Creator
- Powell, Isabel Washington, 1908-2007 (Person)
- Title
- Isabel Washington Powell papers
- Author
- Sara Green and Christopher Harter
- Date
- 03/07/2012
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- eng
Repository Details
Part of the Amistad Research Center Repository
6823 Saint Charles Avenue
Tilton Hall, Tulane University
New Orleans LA 70118 US
(504) 862-3222
research@amistadresearchcenter.org